One cow out of the herd of many.

Hello from the Heart of Texas.  Life here is not life in Jacksonville, FL, that's for sure.  Aside from the wonderful people I have come to love and the meetings where I spoke (the reason I'm in Texas), the high points for me were being out on the ranch with the cows - lots of cows, including the babies, and later a visit with the goats in the 'backyard'.  A number of calves just born trotted along with their mama's. My host, John, loves his cows - a good size herd. We pulled into the pasture waaaay out on the ranch which I was told would be an 18 mile drive to go around the perimeter of the ranch. This is where John grew up.  He and his brother and father 'worked' the cows on horseback -- we're talkin' genuine no-kidding cowboys. They are still alive and well in Texas. John whooeeey'd for his cows and here they came, over the hill and through the woods in response to his call.  Each cow weighs about 1200 pounds, pushing and shoving one another to get closer. Their loud moos are more like mmmaaah's and a lot of them at once is sure loud.  They have sweet faces though and for all the noise and pushing to get really close by the braver ones they are docile and not scary at all. I loved being out there with them.

         We then went to the hunting lodge on the property where John and Elaine, his wife and my hostess and now dear friend, lived until they built their beautiful house in town.  We sat on the veranda overlooking grassy plains and listened to the quiet and just talked. It made me long for simpler times when life moved along at a different pace than we do in the cities of today.  Despite the relative isolation, Elaine told me how she loved living out there and would welcome it again.  Can you just imagine being where there is not one sound of modern civilization, only nature: bird calls, the breeze rustling the grasses....   I'm thinking that is how it's supposed to be. Makes me yearn for that kind of quiet. 

         I had the chance to visit folks on another ranch for a dinner with John and Elaine who are elders in a local church, with another couple, Joe and Mackye, also church elders at their home (also on a ranch), and the pastor and his wife as well as Elaine Reinhardt Lang, who along with her husband Ray, has brought me to Texas and in whose home I am now as I write.  What a fun group, telling so many stories, all Texan-life style stories, things that don't happen in my hometown of Jacksonville.        For instance. one night Joe heard a critter, some animal outside in the back of the

house. He got up and put on his boots and in his underwear (picture this) out he went holding the rifle in one hand and the flashlight in the other hand. He fired at the what-ever-it-was animal but he somehow missed the animal and hit a Laurel tree which his wife, Mackye, was rather fond of. The shot split the tree in half. What to do?  He wrapped the tree in duck tape to hold it together.  But "the graft didn't take," Joe said and a year or so later the left half fell over dead and the right side followed some time later.  This may not read as funny but there are some folks who are just funny whatever they say. Mackye telling this story and the others telling theirs made for a very laughter-filled evening. If anyone thinks that elders and pastors are stodgy and 'religious' such is not the case here. 

           

The goats are in John and Elaine's backyard (far from the house, ranch style) and were fed the left over watermelon, one goat in particular (pictured) enjoyed it till she flipped it over and couldn't get through the rind to the good stuff. Compared to the cows, they are so quiet. Except for two bucks butting heads in typical goat fashion, they were just sweet. 

             Aside from the temperature which ranged from 96 - 105 degrees with a humidity in the 40%, it has been very pleasant. There is always a breeze, even to a howling wind, I'm told. The ground and the grasses are quite dry however and rain is a constant prayer request and concern lest there be fires.  In my home town of Jacksonville, we are surfeited with rain; here, the projection is for no rain until into September.  Crazy.

              I attended a prayer meeting with about 12 women who pray weekly for America and Israel. I felt so 'one' with them. It seem the Holy Spirit has His Spirit-filled church pretty much on the same page with regard to the importance of Israel and what to pray for our nation. It's a wonderful thing to be so in sync with others in the body of Messiah and feel so united with them in prayer even though in some other ways our life styles are somewhat different.  I was told they aren't aware of any Jews living near by, yet their hearts were for Israel - a work of the Holy Spirit who puts what He loves in the hearts of His people.   

             Aside from being mega allergic to something here in Texas causing my voice to threaten to disappear so that preaching was a challenge to be heard (thank God for microphones), I love Texas. I have one more preaching 'gig' on Sunday morning in a local country church I'm looking forward to. For now, I'm just enjoying just Being in the country. It's a reminder of how pleasant simple life can (or should) be.